Wishes of Love
by Ice of the Kitsune's Fire
Summary: It was ironic. The wolf that had reminded her so much of him, the wolf that had lived with her for months on end was none other Uchiha Sasuke. She'd just been too blind to see it. Sasusaku./On Hiatus/
1. Maybe Wishes do Come True

_Kay. Auther's note here. I've been inactive in Fanfiction for longer then I intended, and since it's finally summer, I'm gonna post a new story. Yeah. I'll quit rambling now and let you read. Enjoy! (hopefully)_

_"Ino, is it true that four leaf clovers grant wishes?"_

_"Of course they do! Remember when I turned thirteen?"_

_smile "Of course I do, Ino-chan. We went up to the field with the clovers. You wished to be the most gorgeous lady ever."_

_"Psh. I wished to be _**THE most gorgeous AND pretty, beautiful, fabulous, did I already mention GORGEOUS? Woman EVER**_ that common men would fall for."_

_a laugh. "Do you remember what you wished for, Sakura-chan?"_

_"...Yeah..."_

_Crestfallen expression. "Cheer up, Sakura-chan, it'll come true with time. After all, mine came true. Just look at the amount of men staring at me!"_

_"I guess so. But it's so hard to hope for. I mean, we're sixteen now! It's already been three years since-since-"_

_comforting hug. "Well... it was always a far-fetched wish, but still, it'll come true one day!"_

_small smile. "Maybe, Ino, maybe..."_

_a look. "Wait, you DO remember what you wished for, right? It was-"_

_"...For Sasuke to come back."_

_**~Maybe wishes do come true~**_

_**chp.1**_

**_7 months and 23 days later_**

_"HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAKURA-CHAN! I'll become HOKAGE some day!" -Naruto Uzumaki_

"Happy Birthday, Forehead!"-Ino Yamanaka

"Well wishes for the coming year." -Neji Hyuga

"WHOO! One more year 'till you're a legal adult, Sakura!"-Ten-Ten

"H-happy 17th Birthday, Sakura-chan. I hope your following year is fruitful and enjoyable."-Hinata Hyuga

"HAPPY 17TH BIRTHDAY! YOUR BLOSSOM OF YOUTH BLOOMS GREATER EACH YEAR!" -Rock Lee

"Yo, Sakura. When you get back, there will be a package on your doorstep. Happy 17th Birthday." Hatake Kakashi

"Happy Birthday! Get a dog! They're awesome!" -Kiba

"Work hard and don't let idiots distract you!" -Tsunade

"Wear tighter fitting clothing, it suits your figure -insert perverted grin here-" -Jiraya

"HEY! All the way from Suna here! Gaara and Kankerou are busy, so I'll say it for them. Happy birthday!" -Temari

"Troublesome. HB." -Shikamaru

"Work hard on your genjutsu!" -Kurenai

_On an ending note:"Sakura, we would've had a party when you came back, but since everything is so busy with missions and what not, we had to postpone it. Sorry. Love ya, Tsunade."_

Sakura smiled at the card. Even when she was out on a mission, her friends managed to send a card to her. Warmth blossomed in her chest. Tucking the card in her kunai holster, she continued walking. The mission she embarked on was a dangerous one. She was supposed to investigate the ruins of the battleground...made from Sasuke and Itachi. Itachi's dead body had already been found by ANBU ninja, but they had to leave the area quickly if they were to retrieve his body before Akatsuki did. The reason was that Itachi's body held much-chased after information about him, the Akatsuki, and most importantly, the Sharingan. The amount of knowledge that could be obtained from his body was austonding. The ANBU had to leave before Akatsuki prevented them from obtaining the information.

So the task of scavenging for clues fell to Sakura. She had been around the general area when they discovered the battle scene, and Tsunade decided it was best if the ANBU hurried on, leaving Sakura to investigate the surrounding area. Personally, Sakura had a feeling Akatsuki already knew that the body was taken, because she had not encountered a party searching for the body. Still, she was glad the examination of the battlefield had gone smoothly.

Or at least physically it had. Emotionally, she was internally wrestling with the disappointment that resided inside her gut. However, there had been no signs of him anywhere. How on earth was she going to find Sasuke if he didn't leave one. Single. Dratted. Clue? Adding to the fact that she was disappointed and slightly crestfallen, she had been secretly hoping that she could find some crucial detail, a note, the boy himself...and you'd expect there would be at least something, but NO...not a single HAIR or drop of sweat anywhere. While her anger blotted out most of her disappointment, still...she was kinda depressed over the fact that she found virtually nothing helpful, besides the fact that he obviously had been here previously, what, a day or two ago?

And on the plus side, she had no idea where he went from there. Let's face it: after Kakashi had extinguished Amaratetsu using his sharingan, theblack fire had already burned whatsoever sent trail Sasuke had left behind. Plus, he had the speed of the wind ( practically, literally) so he could be virtually _anywhere_.

She had just about had it with the whole scenario and was about to head back when she heard a sharp whimper.

Her head snapped around. It was coming from a pile of crushed rocks-near the area where Itachi's body was found. Senses alert, she slowly crept to the area, soft whimpers guiding her way. What she found though, was not what she had expected. Instead, what she saw broke her heart.

A lone black wolf lay trapped underneath the fallen rocks. His muzzle was bloody, and she could make the outline of a half-clotted wound. Only his head and a paw showed clearly, but the paw was so twisted out of shape that Sakura involuntarily shivered in sympathy. She could tell that he once was a beautiful, strong, wolf, but the wounds had hidden that under a swath of blood. She scanned the length of him, and determined he was male. There were multiple hunks of rock crushing his body, and there was a steady flow of blood stemming from his wounds.

When the wolf spotted Sakura, he began snarling at her with a feral, wounded expression. Her heart went out to him. Knowing that animals were vicious when hurt, she carefully moved her hands closer to his head. He began writhing as violently as possible under the fallen rocks, and she had to dart her hand back in order to protect it from being bitten off. Frowning, she decided that this guy needed to be handled with more force. She reached her hand over again, except this time she quickly used a chakra scalpel and quickly severed the muscle in his jaw. Unable to bite her, the wolf glared at her with onyx eyes. She regretted that she had to immobilize him, but it was necessary for what she was doing next.

She stood up, encircled the rock currently crushing the wolf, and lifted. She threw it over her shoulder without a second thought before moving to the next one. Soon the entire length of the wolf was open to her eyes, and part of her wished she never saw.

The wolf was utterly, entirely, hurt. There was no other way of explaining it. His fur was matted in blood, and when she gently ran her fingers against his fur, he flinched and howled in pain. The muscle was tender, and there probably was a broken rib or two. She figured that none of them had punctured his lungs, or else he wouldn't be breathing in front of her. His legs were in better shape then the rest of him, a broken hind leg and shattered foot being his only injuries. As she continued with her examination, she noticed multiple burns on his fur. Some areas only singed the fur, others had practically boiled the skin alive. Talk about being roasted alive. The more she looked, the more obvious the urgency of the situation made itself clear to her.

She decided that she would wait no longer to begin healing. At the first touch of her chakra, the wolf instantly calmed down. Odd, she thought, taking into account his previous aggressiveness. Putting the matter aside, she focused on the worst wounds. She had to give credit to the wolf. While he didn't begin howling when she set his ribs, he did flinch and whimper. Poor soul must have been damaged in the crossfire while Sasuke and Itachi were fighting. A frown marred her face. Typical of them to blatantly ignore a creature in their path and simply incinerate them. A small part of her lamented at the idea that Sasuke would stop at nothing for his revenge, even if it meant sacrificing innocent passerbys.

She observed her handiwork. She hadn't healed him entirely, as that required massive amounts of chakra with the wounds he had-she was shocked he had even survived- and plus, she still had to return to Konoha. Common sense told her that being deprived of chakra in a socially-unstable area was not wise. So she had made a splint for the wolf's broken bones, healed the most severe cases, and secured his muzzle with string. Although she had healed the muscle she had cut, that didn't mean she'd let him chew her ear off as she journeyed back to Konoha. After all, the wolf had wanted to bite her hand earlier.

She ignored the wolf's soft growls as she lifted him up onto her shoulder. His head and forepaws were resting on her back while the rest of him dangled uselessly down her front. Apparently the wolf didn't agree with this arrangement, because he began to growl louder. She began journeying back to Konoha, deliberately ignoring the growls. However, there came a point of time that she couldn't stand it anymore. It was like constant static filling her ear.

"Be quiet," she muttered. The wolf gave her an irritated look, and growled some more.

"This is for your own good, you know that? I won't let you chew the head off of your own healer! Well, my head, at least. If you keep growling I'm just gonna dump you here and now! I may be strong, but carrying you is starting to get annoying." Why she was muttering to an injured wolf was beyond her. Maybe it was the way the wolf had looked at her and snarled. Maybe it was the way that he looked so human. Either way, she figured she had become emotionally attached to him. Figures. Well, no one could really blame her, anyway, because the pitiful state she found him in and the pain the wolf was going through was horrible. So naturally her motherly instinct had kicked in and imprinted on this wolf, so now she felt rather protective about him. She didn't know if it was a good or bad thing. Though that didn't change the fact that she was slightly irked at the fact that the wolf would. Not. Stop. GROWLING!

"Shut up, wolf. I promise I'll undo the string around your jaw if you do so...If you don't bite," she added as an after thought. When the wolf just glared at her,she threw her hands up and said: "PLEASE! Just give me a peace of mind." Surprisingly, the wolf actually listened, as in listened, heard her words, understood them, and fell silent. She looked over her shoulder to make sure the wolf hadn't fainted on some freaky coincidental timing or something. Yup. The wolf was conscious, and by the way he was looking at her, he was practically screaming: "Get this cursed thing off of me NOW."

Stunned and amazed, she flipped the wolf so his muzzle was by her chin (he growled at the sudden shift) and she untied the knot, letting his muzzle go free. The wolf worked his jaws for a couple of seconds, enjoying the freedom from forced constraint. Then the wolf glared at her. She could swear no animal had ever glared at her like _that. __He seemed to be saying: ABOUT TIME, YOU TOOK LONG ENOUGH._The wolf seemed to forgive her after a moment, and simply turned his head away. She stared. After about 30 seconds, the wolf growled irritably, gave her a look, no, THE LOOK, and turned his head again to face the other direction.

Ok...there was something about this wolf that was special. Obviously. Her curiosity ignited, she decided that no, she wouldn't heal him in one go. It would waste chakra she could be using to save people. It wasn't like healing naturally would hinder her schedule. Although she had to admit, part of her motive was, well, to use this chance to observe the wolf. It wasn't every day that you came across a wolf that glared, growled, was hurt to the point of death, and let's see: seemed to understand her and follow her instructions. This, she concluded, was a smart wolf. A special one. And she was determined to figure out what made him so.

_Last night_

_stars glinting in the dark_

_watching_

_like silent sentinels_

_a flash_

_streaking across the sky_

"_I wish I could find Sasuke..."_

_and the shooting star faded from sight._

He was angry. Oh yes, he was VERY angry. No, furious. And annoyed. And irked as well. He was not supposed to be in this situation! Uchiha blood ran through his veins, he would not succumb to bad luck. He would not grovel before a curse. But all the same, he could not believe this had happened to him. He refused to believe this had happened to him. Well, that worked until the pink-haired girl shifted him so he was facing the back again. The motion jerked him, thus put pressure on his healing bones. He yelped in alarm. He gave her an irate stare when she looked back to see how he was faring. The green eyes blinked, then she smiled. Spontaneously.

"Sorry. Guess I could have warned you there." The wolf huffed in annoyance. He decided to glare at the retreating background as Sakura walked.

Sakura. How much had she changed? Of course she was still annoying, but still...he had to admit, she had matured. She looked a lot less child-like when it came to her body and her strength (how she had lifted that hated boulder, he could not understand) and she now had garnered medical ninjutsu under her belt as well. He had to admit that she did fix him up pretty well, Though he dearly wished she had healed his foot, no, paw now. (How had his capable, ninjutsu-experienced hands been downgraded into PAWS?) The reoccurring realization that he was now trapped as a wolf did not seem to improve his mood one bit.

He glared harder at the scenery. It was really all he could do in his current state. Sakura could swear she could feel the heat of his gaze igniting a fire. She actually turned her head around and looked behind her, made sure the fire was imagined (though she was still half way convinced there eventually was going to be a fire with the intensity the wolf was glaring) and then she looked at the wolf. She idly wondered what had angered him so. Finally, she decided to stare down the side of the wolf's head until he met her gaze.

"Stop. Glaring." She emphasized the words. The wolf looked at her, decided that he was above all of this, all of this glaring at inanimate objects and a certain Haruno, and simply made himself comfortable, glanced at Sakura, and slowly fell asleep.

Sakura didn't know what to make of it, so she just continued heading toward Konoha.

Little did she know, the one she was carrying, the one who she had shared glares with, the one who was currently sleeping on her back and awaiting a recovery back at Konoha; was none else then the fabled Uchiha Sasuke.

It was about twilight when she stopped for the night. Although she usually stayed up late traveling even more, figured it was best to stop. After all, nighttime increased the chances of running into stray ninja or hordes of bandits. Not that she couldn't beat them to pulp, it was simply the matter of the onyx-eyed wolf. If there was a fight, she didn't want him to get in the crossfire. Even though she could heal him later on. She gazed fondly at the wolf. For some reason she always had to help an animal in need. Call it her instinct. This wolf was no different, aside from the obvious intelligence and human-like personality. Though she would describe it as a grouchy personality. Figures. The one animal she that shows unusual intelligence just has to be one that glares as well. Though by the way the wolf was lying around, she would say that he was moping around.

As she set up camp, the wolf silently spread himself out on the ground, and curled up next to the fire. Interesting. The word echoed through her mind. Most wolves (or at least wild ones, she reprimanded herself) would avoid fire at all costs. However, this wolf seemed to understand that fire wasn't that all dangerous. AND the fact that he wasn't afraid of it spreading, as if he knew that it would be contained by the ring of rocks surrounding it. Interesting. How very interesting. She continued to observe the wolf, but didn't come to any good conclusions. When she prepared dinner, though, she came to a roadblock.

She didn't have anything to feed the wolf with. Or herself, for any matter. As she assessed her options, she eventually came to the conclusion of: "Why the heck not?" and scooted toward the wolf.

"Hey." The wolf raised an eyebrow and blinked.

"I'm gonna go get some food for us, OK? Stay here." She tried to impress the idea of staying firmly on the wolf. He merely yawned and scooted closer to the fire. Was that a yes? Deciding that the wolf probably couldn't go anywhere with his current state, she confidently crept out of camp.

The key to hunting-for ninjas at least- was fairly simple. Find prey, follow prey, ambush prey. Bingo. She closed her eyes, letting her enhanced senses spread out. There! A rustle to her left. She quietly pulled out a senbon. She waited for the second rustle before striking. A small thump marked her success. Leaping toward her catch, she grinned at her success. The senbon had gone straight through the rabbit's pupil. Bull's eye! She cheered inwardly. She carefully extracted the needle and headed back toward camp. On the way back, she managed to bag another rabbit. She shielded her eyes from the fire as she entered the camp.

True to her assumption, the wolf was still there. His head turned toward her kills as she walked by. She could tell his nose was twitching with anticipation.

"No, that's not for you, not yet anyway." She took out a kunai and skinned the rabbits before remembering that wolves ate skin on an animal along with the meat. She threw the fatter of the two rabbits at the wolf before taking her own and sticking it on a spit above the fire. She also hung a metal pot below the spit, hoping that it would be enough to catch the juices.

Sakura observed the wolf's reaction to the meat. He grunted. After sniffing it for a second, he wrinkled his nostrils and pushed the rabbit away. Sakura paused in the process of turning the spit. She had never heard of a wolf refusing to eat. Either that meant he was sick somehow, or the rabbit itself had been sick...or something else. While the wolf himself did not have any disease of some sort (she had made sure of that while she healed him) she was pretty sure that the rabbit itself should be sanitary. She took the rabbit and scanned it's body with her chakra for harmful bacteria and viruses. None. Still, to be safe, she decided to roast his portion along with hers. That would probably get rid of whatever was keeping him from eating it.

She constructed a new spit from tree branches and twigs, fastening his portion alongside hers. She extended the fire so it would fully heat the wolf's portion as well. The wolf's nose twitched as the aroma of roasting meat reached him. As Sakura waited for the meat to cook, she began to contemplate a name for the wolf. Usually she didn't name the animals she saved, because they were all wild animals and would eventually be returned to their habitat. However, she felt that this wolf deserved a name, needed a name, no, had a name. She was positive this wolf had an owner previously. How else could he understand her words? However, she was sure that the wolf did not have a owner recently. There was no collar, and the way he had glared and growled clearly suggested that he did not invite human contact-meaning he probably didn't have any interaction with his previous owner lately. So, this wolf was a stray. A lonely stray caught in the crossfire of Sasuke's revenge.

Her breath hitched. The wolf raised an eyebrow at her stiffened posture.

Sasuke. Where was he now? Where was he going? His revenge had been extracted. So now where would he go? Sakura knew that she would do everything in her power to bring him back. But the question was...did he want to? Did he want to return back to Konoha, where he "broke" his bonds, nearly killed Naruto and others, and most importantly...left her? Her heart clenched. Four years had passed since he left. He had extracted his revenge. What else could he possibly want? Deep inside, she hoped that he would come back. But something told her he would have to be brought back by force.

He had become so distant, so dark that last time she saw him. Carelessly attacking Naruto. Cool, indifferent. As if they were mildly irritating flies fluttering around his head that he felt were not even worth killing. A twinge of pain flared in her chest, and she pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them. Although she had moved on from the silly crush she had harbored for him, part of her had never truly let go. No one can really forget the feelings they had for another when it was mixed with anguish and heartbreak and most importantly...when there never was a goodbye. It was just a "knock-out disappear" act. She frowned in annoyance. Stupid Uchiha just had to knock her out, didn't he?

While she was musing, she didn't seem to realize that the wolf lying across from her was fore-mentioned: "Stupid Uchiha".

Sasuke wasn't that irritated anymore...somewhat...in fact, after contemplating on the enigma that was Haruno Sakura, he decided to just go with the flow. It wasn't like he could do anything else at the moment. He figured it was best that he waited until he was healed up, then escape to...WHERE? His blood boiled as he remembered what Itachi had done. That mangy two-faced excuse of a brother...the insults steadily grew worse until he was silently making his way through the ABC's of swear words.

Sakura seemed completely oblivious to the foul language making its way through his head. In fact, she seemed to be dead to the world. She was staring at the fire, the flickering light making soft shadows on her features. Her skin seemed to be bathed in a swath of glowing radiance, and her jade eyes danced with fire. Sakura. Sasuke was caught by the subtle differences. The still-wide forehead, slender shoulders, pronounced breasts-he tried to ignore that new-found fact- her soft-smelling hair...

anyway...

It was about time to see if Sakura's healings had actually done anything...but being Sasuke, and being arrogant, he conviniently forgot that Sakura hadn't healed his leg or foot.

Sasuke cautiously sat up, but instantly regretted it as his broken bones protested painfully. He let out an unconscious yelp. Sakura rushed over to him and straightened out his leg. He yelped again. A soothing feeling rushed through his body. Healing chakra, he realized.

The smell of a cooked meat wafted into his nostrils. Suddenly he felt ravenous. He had not eaten for nearly two days. He noted that the meat had been cooked, good. Even though he was a wolf, he would not go down to that level and actually eat meat raw. Sakura noticed his hungry expression, and so she carefully pulled a portion of the rabbit off with her kunai and held it out to him. The aroma of the rabbit, full of juices and tender meat grabbed at his senses. However, pride prevented him from indulging in it.

He was _not _going to be hand fed. He refused. He didn't care if he had been an inch from death that afternoon, but he was not going to be humiliated any more by being _hand fed._ Uchihas were above that. Well, he would've said Uchihas were above being cursed into becoming a wolf, but apparently that wasn't the case. He had already suffered a huge slap to his pride by becoming a wolf and being helped by _Sakura, _Sakura, a female. A weak, annoying hindrance. He deliberately denied the fact that she was now a skilled medic-nin that could lift boulders. Because then, he would be admitting that he was in a bad situation and _Sakura_ was stronger then him. Only at the moment of course, because he had suffered life-threatening wounds.

Which led back to the current issue: he refused to be hand-fed. The look Sakura gave him was a "Please?". However, he would not fall for her trap. If the world ever knew that Sasuke, THE Uchiha Sasuke, had been hand fed by a girl, Sakura by no less, he would be doomed. Oh, the horror. But of course, that was in the occasion that people found out that he was trapped in the body of a wolf. He was confident that would not happen. The only way was for that to occur was for him to re-assume human form-and he would slice the throats of anyone who laughed at the incident. A good plan. But that still didn't mean he would allow Sakura to hand feed him. It was degrading.

Sakura, on the other hand, had been the lovely witness of the Uchiha's expressions. When she first offered the meat, he had given her a look that clearly said no. When she tried again, he simply lay there and folded his paws (being careful with his injured one) and lay his head down on them. It was apparent that he was refusing to be hand-fed in his own silent, ignoring way. When she insisted, he gave her a look that conveyed that his doubt in her intelligence for not getting the message.

Giving up, Sakura simply let the portion drop in front of his nose. The wolf licked the meat, tasting it, then ravenously devoured it.

"Oh, NOW you decide to to eat it. What do you have against me anyway? You're either glaring at me or giving me looks that insult my intelligence. It's so frustrating! Stop it!" She finished her mini-rant and stormed a couple of paces away.

She swore the wolf was smirking at her. She whirled around and glared at him before muttering:

"And now I have been granted the rewarding knowledge that the wolf smirks at me as well."

He smirked wider, if possible. This was going to be interesting.

After getting annoyed with said wolf, she went to chew on her own portion, digesting a new piece of the wolf's personality. So now the wolf has a sense of humor. Fabulous, she thought. This wolf just kept revealing new things about him, wasn't he? She brooded on the oddity of it all while she ate.

After she finished eating (she had chucked the rest of her meal at the wolf when he kept smirking at her. Not that he seemed to mind, he snapped up the food like a starving dog. Not that he was far from being one.) She began to douse the fire and unwrap her hammock. The cloth was molted with a variety of greens and brown camouflage colors. Sewed onto the side of the hammock was a long strip of cloth that was designated as her blanket. Several buttons were also attached to either side of the hammock. A rolled up insect screen was looped through the buttons, effectively locking out insects. The reason she slept in a hammock rather then a sleeping bag was because it provided some protection from bandits, snakes, insects...etc. If she slept on the ground, people were gonna notice if they were passing by. But high up in a tree...who would look up there?

The issue now, though, was the wolf. He may have been rather rude (as far as an animal could be rude) but she didn't want to leave him down there on the ground, alone and exposed. And she wasn't too excited about sleeping on the dirt either. So there was one option. She only hoped the wolf wouldn't protest too badly. She knelt down next to the wolf.

"Hey grouchy. We're gonna sleep in a tree."

The wolf gave her a look that clearly questioned her sanity. It quickly morphed into an annoyed grimace at the new nickname. Giggling, she carefully swept him up into her arms, ignoring the short huff of surprise and irritation. She powered chakra into her feet, and leaped onto a branch before landing on the hammock. She nearly lost her balance with her new cargo. Mr. Grouchy growled at her warningly.

She carefully balanced the hammock out before setting the wolf inside and slipped in herself. She wrapped the blankets around herself and hooked the bug screen securely. Inside the hammock, she could hear the wolf breathe in and out. Frankly, she was surprised he hadn't flipped out at the sudden confinement. Another thing added to the ever heaping mystery about the wolf. Wrapping her arms around him, she buried her fingers in his thick fur and hugged him like a pillow.

Soon the wolf was asleep. It struck her that she had always called him "the wolf". True, she had tried calling him Grouchy, but it was rather apparent he disproved. As she ran her fingers through his fur, she remembered the way he had glared. She remembered the way he had smirked at her antics. The way his fur, though slightly matted, was jet-black and thick. The way those onyx eyes observed her. The cool, aloof demeanor that vanished when he was irritated. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized who the wolf resembled...Sasuke. It was such a coincidence, she thought. Maybe instead of bringing her Sasuke (which was near impossible, anyway she thought wistfully) her wish had brought this injured wolf that reminded her of him in so many ways. She smiled softly. Ino was right. Maybe wishes do come true.

With that thought in her head, she blissfully drifted into sleep, her form snuggling against the slumbering wolf.

Hey, those who've read the profile, this is Misty here. Yes, she's actually posting stories now. P.S. this is a joint account. -hint hint-

ANYWAY, you can expect an update around...a month. No, I'm not kidding. It actually might be longer then that DX I'm too lazy for my own good.

Hope you like the story, if not, bummer for you. Deal with it. I only proofread this once...(while fixing numerous errors) so there might be some confusion or minor/major errors. If you come across any of them, PLEASE notify me and I will fix it ASAP. THX!

Click the button that says "Review for this story".

Yes. Click it. Reviews motivate me. =D so if you're lucky and i'm motivated enough...you might get an earlier update ;)


	2. Dedicated to Kiri, my friend

Thank you Tiger-Priestess, uchihakiriko, Maxium, AngelicSnow, Midnight Phase, xXSilverSilkenWingsXx for reviewing!=) If I forgot to list your name here, please tell me and I will fix it ASAP. I also appreciate all who added me to their alerts and favorites. Thanks!

ALSO: For those who haven't visited the profile, I'm in a joint account with my good friend Uchihakiriko/Kiri. If it weren't for her constant nagging and editing/commenting, this chapter wouldn't have been out until...2-4 weeks later...? Yeah. This chapter is dedicated to Kiri, for all she did for me, this chapter, fanfiction in general, blah, blah, you get the idea. And yes, I know, I said I would update a month later, but it's only 1 month and 2 days...? It won't kill you people, will it? Anyway, If you forgot what this story is about, go ahead and read the first chapter again.

OK! On with the story!

_Your Name _

_I wrote your name in the sky, _

_but the wind blew it away. _

_I wrote your name in the sand, _

_but the waves washed it away. _

_I wrote your name in my heart, _

_and forever it will stay._

_~Jessica Blade _

chp. 2

Sasuke woke up to the pleasant warmth of arms wrapped around him. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he became aware of a slumbering Sakura next to him. Her face was relaxed, her cheek nuzzled up to his fur. The arms encircling him were not unlike that of a child squeezing a stuffed animal. His face turned sour at the thought. He was not a teddy bear. Nor would he consent to being treated like one. As he contemplated how to escape this latest humiliation, he began to feel uncomfortable being hugged so closely. Sasuke wasn't a touchy-feeling person, and this hugging business was starting to cross the line. He began to struggle.

"Mmmmm?" Sakura opened her eyes to piercing light. She also became aware of a rather claustrophobic wolf wrestling to get out. Dawn was beginning to filter it's golden fingertips through the bug screen. Sleepily rubbing her eyes with one hand, she felt around for the buttons around the outer edge of the hammock, aware that the wolf was still thrashing impatiently. She swiftly undid the buttons. The screen relaxed, falling on them. She roughly brushed it away. A wet black nose poked out. A huff broke out from the wolf as the rest of him was revealed, and his head lolled out of the hammock. Onyx eyes observed his surroundings.

It had already been light for about an hour. Green leaves formed a dappled shade, the wistful birdsong was already floating through the air. The forest seemed at peace, and the occasional squawk of a squabbling pheasant or the chattering of squirrels did little to disturb the serenity. It was the first time in a long stretch that he had felt so...calm. Relaxed. Like he could lie around all day and not be bothered. Maybe it was the way the air smelled lazy and sleepy, the way the sunlight merely bid its time as it glimmered in the air, or maybe it was simply that he was awake among nature; early in the morning. Or it was the fact that a slumbering Sakura was curled up beside him, her steady breathing constantly washing over his ears.

He decided to let her sleep for a couple of moments. After all, he wanted some privacy to think. Last night he had been too worn out by his fight with Itachi and the recent events to reflect properly. He was more tired then he thought he had been. In fact, he had passed out as soon as his head had hit the hammock. (though he would deny it even if he was put under the stare of Morino Ibiki. Uchihas did not pass out due to stress. It was unheard of.)

Now that he had sleep in his system, he began to map out his next move. Team Hebi had been ordered to occupy Itachi's partner, Kisame, while he extracted his revenge. He was rather sure that they had made a hasty retreat at the end. Shark-like or not, Kisame was in the Akatsuki, and that indicated that he was stronger then the usual stock of missing-nin. A barely visible frown narrowed his eyes. Hebi was probably waiting for him at the check point. A check-point, he mused, that was now inaccessible to him. He glanced at the stick currently forming his splint, then glared at no one in particular. Not that he particularly wanted to meet his teammates-it was just that he didn't like changing his plans.

Fate had seemed to hand him a lot of that. He snorted quietly. He didn't think he could go back to Hebi, even if he had the mobility to do so. They wouldn't even recognize him. Perhaps Karin, assuming she would read his chakra.

But he knew there was no way he'd be able to stay in the group. Suigetsu was rebellious by nature, and he knew being demoted to a wolf was a akin to slinging a sign around his neck proclaiming: "OVERTHROW AT ONCE". Not to mention that he'd have absolutely no way of communication, command, or respect. Even Karin would be slightly repulsed by the sudden change. Her infatuation would probably die instantly. (one thing to look forward to.) He had killed Itachi, he had no purpose in the group anymore. It would've been disbanded even if he hadn't come to this predicament. The team probably would wait out a bit, investigate the ruins of the battle, come to the conclusion that he was being a jerk and had left without saying a goodbye, and separate.

Though he tried to ignore it, a tiny voice whispered that was exactly what had happened with Konoha. Left, without bothering to say a proper farewell. Sasuke squished the guilt squirming in his gut and distracted himself by attempting to stand. A resounding pain reminded him again that he wasn't in the condition to walk around yet.

His sharp whimper woke Sakura from her attempted sleep-in.

"..Wha? What? Wolfie?" She sleepily blinked her eyes. Sasuke glared at the new nickname. In a few seconds she had grasped the situation at hand and she rolled her eyes. Sasuke refused to meet them. She hoisted him up, ignoring his growls yet again, and lightly slid out of the hammock and landed on the earth. She gently set him down. She checked him over for any signs of damage, and re-did the splint and freshened up the bandages, in case if they opened up while they were traveling.

"If you haven't noticed yet, you're not supposed to be moving around." Sasuke scowled. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"But since you keep moving so much-" she contemplated with a slight irked tone "I'm gonna heal your foot-but only because you keep jarring it when you roll over or move a bit." Her eyes roved over his. "However, do not take that as a sign that you can begin walking around on your own. After we reach Konoha, I'm going to put your leg in a cast. Then you can hobble around. But until then, not a single step, mister."

Sasuke glanced at her and shrugged to show that he had heard her. Still contemplating on his ever-human gestures, she gathered flickering chakra in her palm and held it over his paw. He watched as it slowly faded away along with the faint throbbing of his paw.

He flexed carefully. It seemed healed, all right. He was about to stand again before he remembered her warning. He stopped just in time to see her glance at him with a suspicious eye. He grumpily settled back onto his haunches. His leg was sprawled in an awkward position because of the splint, and Sasuke found himself half sitting, half standing as he attempted to balance on the hammock. Sakura quickly realized that an unbalanced hammock was a hammock prone to flip over. She quickly snagged Sasuke around his waist, and leaped backwards onto a branch before it tipped over.

Her quick thinking saved her broken bones to heal later. However, it left Sasuke being held like a puppy. He had the sudden, vivid image of Sakura holding him up to a faceless woman and asking: "Can I keep him?"

Frankly, that image was slightly disturbing.

He was internally grateful when she let him down. He idly watched as she leaped back up and untied the cords that held the hammock steady. He gave a surprised snort as the hammock dropped from the tree and landed an inch away. He gave Sakura a "Watch it!" glare.

She merely laughed. She quickly set upon the task of rolling the hammock up and bundling it up. She wanted to reach Konoha by noon. She figured the extra hour required for catching and cooking breakfast was wasteful, so she simply erased the evidence of a fire, squished everything in her pack, and lifted Sasuke back onto her shoulders.

Then she began to travel. Surprisingly, Sasuke didn't struggle this time. He had surrendered to the fact that he was now reliant on Sakura, and (for now) there was nothing that he could do about it. He cursed his current form once more. This was all Itachi's fault.

Konoha came into sight around noon. Within the next half hour, they arrived. Sakura sent a wave to the guards at the front, ignoring their curious glances to the bored wolf on her back.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" cried Konoha's loudest hyperactive ninja.

Sasuke automatically tensed, waiting for the pointing and attacking, the glares and the proclamations of a promise to bring him back...before realizing that Naruto wouldn't be able to recognize him. Maybe this new body had some advantages of its own.

"Naruto-OOF-kun..." Sakura struggled to breathe as she was happily tackled into a bear hug. Sasuke resisted the urge to bite. If he was going to remain as a wolf, best not let Naruto despise him. (else he could be beaten up. But the dobe could never beat him even if he wanted to.)

Though he had to admit, he was slightly curious about how everything had changed in his absence. After all, the dobe and Sakura probably hadn't sat idle all those years. Hence the supreme healing ability exhibited by Sakura...and he figured he wouldn't let this golden opportunity go to waste. Being a shinobi, he was naturally interested in his surroundings, so why not observe while he could? It wasn't as if he had anywhere else to go...

His line of thought soured as he realized that he could be stuck in this body for the rest of his life. Wouldn't that shorten his lifespan by, what, a couple of decades? Not that he had much to live for anyway. After all, Itachi was dead, and where his ambition resided a hollow space in his chest. Why was he even here? What was his purpose? He was useless. Unneeded. Nothing to strive for. He felt oddly heavy, as if a great weight was pulling him down, ironic considering just how...empty he felt. He forcefully pushed the matter from his mind and concentrated on Naruto's blaring words.

"HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY, SAKURA-CHAN! Eh? What's this? A wolf? Sakura-chan, you're crazy to bring her here! She's dangerous!"

"Naruto...first, this wolf is male. Second, I can rescue any animal I want, whether you like it or not-"

"-BUT IT'S NOT RESCUING, IT'S ABDUCTING FROM THE WILD!"

"SHUT UP, Naruto." Sasuke snickered quietly as he heard her threatening tone.

"This wolf was caught in the cross fire between Itachi and...Sasuke. So he's a poor thing that should be rescued. You should have seen the state of the burns he had..." She trailed off into silence. Naruto contemplated the news, silent for once.

"...Did you find anything?" Sasuke groaned. He should have known it wouldn't have lasted...

"No, nothing really, besides bloodstains, stray shurikan, normal stuff from the battlefield. No sign of him."

"...oh. Well, we can still keep looking, can't we? Anyway, I promised to treat Hinata to ramen, dattebayo, gotta go! Seeya Sakura-chan!"

"Bye Naruto!" Naruto turned around halfway across the street, and added:

"Don't get your arm bitten off by that wolf!"

"NARUTO!"

"Well it would be messy if you did get bitten-"

"You should have more faith in my abilities!"

"Ehehe, I don't, just saying that maybe-"

"GOODBYE, NARUTO." She stalked away, huffing her annoyance.

"Eh? Sakura-chan, I was joking, but you know its always possible that the wolf could attack you and you'd get so bashed up that even Sasuke wouldn't want you and then you wouldn't be able to marry Sasuke and have babies popping out by the minute! I'd bet a month of ramen that Sasuke's an addict for you-know-what-"

"I SAID GOODBYE, NARUTO." She gave him a look that clearly said: "I'm-warning-you-get-out-of-my-line-of-sight-or-die-painfully-and-slow" before roughly jostling Sasuke on her back and stalking away. Naruto took the hint and quickly fled before she could act out her threat. Sometimes having loudmouth blondes for her friends was amusing, but other times Sakura wanted to tear their liver out.

Sasuke sniggered at the interaction. Then he frowned and glared at Naruto's notion. "get so bashed up that even Sasuke wouldn't want you and then you wouldn't be able to marry Sasuke and have babies popping out by the minute!" He scoffed. Where on earth did Naruto get an idea like THAT? It wasn't even humanly possible to pop out babies by the minute...Naruto's idea had no truth in it whatsoever. Absolutely no logic in his reasoning at all. Which was why nothing even remotely related would ever happen to that sentence. None at all. Or so he told himself.

Sakura wondered what had put the wolf in such a bad mood. He had began to glare holes into the buildings behind her. She swore she could practically feel the annoyance wafting off of him. She broke the silence.

"So...I've been thinking, I might as well call you something else then just "The wolf", since you're gonna be staying with me for a while."

Sasuke blinked to show he was listening, but it probably didn't matter anyway, since he was facing the back. Another thing: why did he allow her to carry him like a skinned deer?

"So I've been thinking of some names, and I wanted to see your input...why am I talking to a wolf again? Oh yeah, because I'm slightly insane. Anyway, I was thinking of the name "Wolfie" or "Grouchy"-"

Sasuke growled audibly. He wondered if it was wise to be carried by someone who admitted they were insane.

"Okay, okay, not those, I get it." She lapsed into deep thought. Of course, she knew who he resembled...but she wasn't going to call him that, was she? Of course not...but that didn't mean she could give him a name similar to that. Maybe a nickname?

"...How about Sasu?" Her pink locks brushed his fur as she swiveled her head to look at him. He gave her an expression of complete boredom.

"Wait, that's too dull...hm, how about..." She suddenly squealed. "Sasu-chan!" She grinned happily. Sasuke grunted irritably, ready to reject the name...but decided that the new name was rather similar to his original one, and he guessed he could tolerate the -chan added to the end. As long as she didn't use it on a daily basis...

And now that he thought of it, why was the name so similar to his original...could it be that-no. There was no way she could have figured out his true form. After all, this was Sakura he was talking about here, Sakura who though improved (vastly he admitted) but was still Sakura...so she would have told him if she suspected anything. In his musings, he forgot to give Sakura a cautionary growl at adding the -chan.

When Sakura heard no tell-tale growl of rejection, her smile stretched wider. Finally!

"Sasu-chan it is!" Sasuke rolled his eyes at her happy antics. Then grimaced at the -chan added to the end.

"Soooooo Sasu-chan? How do you like your new name?" She happily scratched the fur behind his ears, and he resisted the urge to snarl at her.

He could already tell that it was going to be a long day.

First word that came to his mind was "homey". The house was two stories high and surrounded by a leafy canopy of trees. The roof was painted a soft sunset red, and the porch swept out to accommodate a couple of chairs. Ivy wound its way up around the wooden porch. Pink and white blossoms bloomed every now and then from the vine, their delicate petals seemingly caressing the sunlight as it beamed down on the scene. Tulips, daffodils, and other assorted blooms were grouped together at a corner of the house. As Sakura neared the doorway, Sasuke became aware of a greenhouse nestled in the trees, a faint aromatic scent drifting from it.

He was startled a bit when Sakura gently encircled his waist and set him down on the ground. He looked up as she pulled out a string of keys and inserted one of them into the door. The knob turned.

"Come in, Sasu-chan." When Sasuke merely gave her a look, she scowled and gestured at the open doorway.

"Oh, just hobble in. Shouldn't be too hard for you. You were attempting to do that on a hammock this morning, for goodness sake." When Sasuke glared at her, she giggled and playfully ruffled the fur around his neck. Talk about mood swings. One moment she was irritated, the next she was-was-um...admiring his thick coat of fur. Yes. His . He refused to acknowledge that the word petted could be used to regard a Uchiha. It simply wasn't possible.

He watched as Sakura skipped into the house. He gingerly limped inside, careful not to strain a muscle or fracture a bone while it was healing. Inside, the house was simple, soft pink and white curtains drawn up beside the window. Bright sunlight streamed from the glassy windows, bathing the room in a warm, comfortable glow. Several potted plants lay there, petals and leaves angled toward the glass in an attempt to draw themselves closer to the warmth, the light.

He observed this all with a quiet gaze. His ears picked up the soft patter of Sakura's feet as she moved through the kitchen. He smelled the faint odor of frozen meat as it was pulled out of the fridge. Hearing. Smell. It had been enhanced a hundred full, and as he paused, the sudden sounds and scents overwhelmed him.

Mint. Frozen meat. Buzz of insects outside. Flowers. The metallic clanging of pots in the kitchen. Soil. Running water. Aloe. A sterile, disinfectant smell wafting from upstairs. And another scent, sweeter, warmer, softer then all the rest. So warm, welcoming, and tantalizingly soft. Sweeter then the aroma from the flowers. Subtler then the sappy scent from nectar nestled between petals of the blossoms. He breathed in, taking in the scent more. He stood up and hobbled toward the kitchen, his nose leading the way.

Sakura stood in the area, hands weaving expertly through greenery, humming to herself and gently washing the leafy batch. He awkwardly moved in a half-lurch, half stumble on his three mobile legs. He stumbled across the kitchen, and stopped an inch from Sakura's leg. She turned from her washing, feeling hot, moist, breath pulsing onto her bare leg. Jade locked with onyx.

"Sasu-chan?" She cautiously inquired. Sasuke had a look of concentration as he inhaled in and out. This was it. This was that sweet reserve of scent saturated around the house. Sakura. Her personal scent. He inhaled deeply. Sakura shot him a curious look. Maybe he was hit in the head before she found him...?

But he seemed to regain control of his senses. He shook his head, sneezed violently, and then stalked off. Sakura didn't know what to make of it. So she simply resumed rinsing the veggies. When she was finished, she dumped them into a bowl and added the rest of the ingredients.

Finished, Sakura grabbed the slowly thawing meat and shoved it in the microwave. She figured Sasu-chan wouldn't want to eat his lunch cold. Sasu-chan. She giggled quietly. A quiet beep from the microwave silenced her giggles temporarily. She removed the meat, dumped it in a plate, and placed it in front of Sasuke.

"Eat up. I'll heal you after you get some food into your system."

Sasuke wrinkled his nose disdainfully at the offending item. Wolf or not, he refused to eat steak raw. Of course Sakura wouldn't know that (he didn't care) but nevertheless, he wasn't planning to eat it. After all, what did he owe her? Nothing. He had simply been a victim of Itachi. (Grrrrr Itachi) She just decided to aid him, he didn't owe her anything. In fact, she should be thanking him! After all, Uchihas were supreme shinobi of power and know-how. He was gracing her with his presence. She should be flattered that he allowed her to the honor of carrying him while he was injured. But as he thought about the exact manner she had exhibited to escort him, his mood fouled considerably.

Sakura watched with interest as the Sasuke went through a series of mood swings. First disdain. Then arrogance. Which lasted for a couple of seconds before it boiled down into irritation. She wondered exactly what was running through that wolf's mind that would cause such odd, random mood swings. Then she carefully watched as his expression went to downright grouchy.

Geez, what was with him? She stared as Sasuke pushed away the meat. She recalled that he wouldn't eat the meat the other night either...until she cooked it. So, assuming that the Sasu-chan had an owner previously, she would bet that the owner had always fed him cooked meat, hence the obvious aversion to raw food. She shrugged. Might as well put that theory to the test.

She pulled out a pair of wooden chopsticks from a drawer and used them to clasp the meat, thus lifting it off the plate. She then hurried to the stove, where she began to grill the meat. The sizzling of flesh quickly met Sasuke's nose. He twitched. When the meal was finally finished, Sakura snagged the lob of meat and dumped it in the bowl in front of Sasuke.

He ate. There wasn't really much to describe about it. He simply ignored her and began to devour the food in front of him until there were only bones left. He then proceeded to lick his chops and give Sakura a pointed/annoyed look that said: "Heal me already!"

She rolled her eyes at the peeved wolf. Talk about demanding. And he hadn't even said anything! All he did was glare at her and expect her to cater to his every whim like some lousy slave. She'd never thought a wolf could be arrogant, but now she had a prime model in front of her. Figures.

Sighing, she carefully wormed her hands under his fur (she ignored his protesting snarls) and lifted him up into her arms. She went up the stairs in quick, light steps and set him down on the examination table in the center of the room.

Sasuke peered around the room. The second floor of Sakura's house was made up of a single, large game room that connected to an adjoining bathroom. Medical equipment rested on various hooks and cubbies around the room, and medical texts were neatly stuffed into large shelves at a corner of the area. A sterile, disinfectant scent was barely noticeable, but that was due to an open window near the staircase. Native flora scent floated in along with dazzling sunlight, making the sky-blue floor shine. He dimly noted that the floor was tile. Long, cream curtains framed the open window, and several sinks were lined up on the wall. Sakura's feet made a quiet padding as she reached around for her equipment.

And for the first time, he realized he was on an examination/operating table.

Soon enough, Sakura came around with the necessary materials, and his leg was bound up in a cast-like hold. When she was finished, she gently carried him back down the stairs (ignoring his snarls and attempts to snap at her face) and set him on the ground..

"Now, you can walk now, but I'm telling you, you won't be able to run properly. Maybe hobble a bit?" She tapped her finger under her chin, then proceeded to sit down. She grabbed a thick medical text and began to read.

Suddenly, Sasuke felt slightly ignored. Not that it meant anything, of course.

Figuring that he might as well rest (what was there to do anyway? He couldn't train.) he limped to a warm patch of sunshine and curled up. Contrary to popular belief, Sasuke actually liked sunshine. Well, it was better then rain, which made training muddy and messy and...you get the idea. He tucked his nose into the fur on his back, and rested there.

Before he knew it, he was asleep.

Of course, this all changed when the front door burst open.

"THERE'S BEEN AN EMERGENCY!"

ROFLOL. Cliff hanger, much? Hahahaha. Suffer! I'm actually pretty sad, I was hoping for more reviews last chapter, but nooooo I didn't even get 10. Sad faces. Oh well, it was probably cuz I said I would update a MONTH later *laughs evilly* Anyway, this chapter hasn't been completely edited/revised, so there may be some OOC-ness or spelling/grammer issues.

(do people even read auther's notes?) 0.o

I'm actually rather displeased with this chapter...yeah.

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! IT MAKES MY DAY~AND IT MOTIVATES ME TO WRITE MORE~~! WHICH MEANS LONGER AND FASTER CHAPTERS! (nods)

REVIEW~~~


	3. It's unedited, but forgive me D:

Thank you people for reviewing~

Tiger Priestess: Please don't kill me. FORGIVE MEEEEE you usually post my longest reviews…and I end up repaying you by not updating for months L sorrrrrrrrryyyy

Author's Note: Ah. You must forgive me for this late update…please? Blame school. And, uh, life in general. -_- Ohmygosh, I'm so bad. I've literally just procrastinated and pushed this to the side for practically the whole school year…sorrysorrysorrysorry! L You guys probably already forgot what the whole story was about…pfff. Ahha, who's to blame? -_- immm soooo doomed.

Warning: In an attempt to get this chapter out to you guys faster, this chapter is unedited. Ehhhe. Excuse the random typos and awkward sentence structure.

Kay, chapter start!

"THERE'S BEEN AN EMERGENCY!"

Sasuke and Sakura shot up simultaneously as a group of sweating ANBU burst through the door. Sakura rushed into action. She pushed the gaggle of ninja apart until she reached the injured.

He was in bad condition, all right. Blood streamed freely from numerous gashes and punctures, and it was only a matter of time before he died from blood loss. Green fluid leaking out of his ears indicated toxic poison. Honestly, where on earth were these shinobi sent? Not to mention the awkward angle his arm was twisted in...she quickly assessed him for spinal injuries, then quickly lifted him up and sped upstairs. She pushed the patient onto the operating table and began stripping him of his shirt, tossing the bloodied fabric into the sink.

She quickly looped her hair into a messy bun, sucked in a deep breath, and got to work. She was racing against time, and she knew that if blood loss didn't kill her patient first, poison would probably ensure his end. She inwardly sighed. This was going to take a while.

Meanwhile…

To say downstairs was quiet was an understatement.

It was deathly silent. Sasuke swore that in all of his lonely, revenge-obsessed life, it had never been this quiet. Until now. Perhaps it was in the nature of ANBU to be silent, but the general air around the area told Sasuke that this was different. This was the edgy, nervous air that seemed to leech from the agonized screams that sliced through the air. The shinobi seemed to inwardly flinch at the cries. Sasuke frowned. Hadn't Sakura thought of injecting painkillers into that male patient? No matter what the public thought, Sasuke was not a sadist, and he could almost sympathize with the pain of the man upstairs. The horror and pain from experiencing the infamous Mankyou Sharingan were never truly forgotten. (Not that this wimpy wailing from upstairs could even match the extremity of what he had suffered.) Of course though, this is Uchiha Sasuke we're talking about here, and Sasuke didn't sympathize. Ever.

Another ear-rending scream shattered the air. This time everyone really did flinch, and the tallest of the trio shuddered, then quickly formed signs before vanishing. He reappeared moments later with medics in tow. White coats flared as they hurried upstairs, to be met by a: "Reinforcements? Go and stabilize the blood flow." Clattering of hurried footsteps could be heard, and Sasuke contented to lay down and wait. The ANBU situated around the living room drifted in and out at irregular intervals. Some gave Sasuke curious looks, but he ignored them.

When dinner drew near, one of the ANBU fetched Chinese take-out. After giving the men pleading looks (As pleading as Uchihas can get, anyway) they decided to throw occasional bits of chicken and beef at him. He flawlessly caught the morsels and swallowed them, calculating gaze always watching, always ready for anything that could happen.

Time went by. Dinner was finished in a quiet fashion. Sasuke silently spent his time staring at the ticking clock. Three hours. Three hours of tension and silence while they waited for the news of the fallen shinobi. He dimly noted that the screams had ceased long ago.

Murmuring. Voices mingled upstairs, before there were sounds of: "Good night" and "Good work. Indistinct poofs vanished into the air, and the slow, measured thumps on the stairs revealed Sakura. Sasuke saw that she had changed into a white medical coat...well, supposed to be white anyway. It was riddled with bloodstains, the clashing streaks splotched like tadpoles swimming downstream. She was smiling, though, and the next words broke the tension.

"He's safe now." A collection of relieved sighs echoed through the room.

"Thank you, Dr. Haruno," the ANBU gushed.

"No, problem, really. Just doing my job," she replied with a small laugh.

More words were exchanged, and eventually they carted their comrade out of the house to one of the hospital wards for recovery from the surgery. As soon as they left, Sakura flopped down into an armchair.

"Ugh, poison, kunai, _and_ broken limbs? Where on earth is Tsunade sending those dedicated shinobi to...?" She began to rant about this was _her_ day off, and how she had just finished a mission with _virtuallly no clues or results._ Sasuke watched in amusement. Looked like she hadn't changed that much after all. After finishing her rant, Sakura stumbled toward the kitchen, where an ANBU had helpfully left her some take-out. She wolfed it down. Sasuke sat down right next to her, giving her a hard, fixed stare.

Sakura sighed, gulped down a mouthful, glared, and swatted his ear.

"Stop glaring at me like that!" Sasuke sneezed irritably, pawing at his snout, before looking up at her again with a...begg-no, demanding look in his eyes.

"Oh right. Dinner for Sasu. My bad." She stumbled haphazardly and dragged the fridge door open with her weight. She glared inside. There wasn't any meat, but there were vegetables...which unfortunately, she was sure Sasu couldn't eat.

"Figures," she muttered under her breath.

"Oi. Sasu. Catch." Sasuke turned around, blinked, and barely managed to snatch the badly-aimed morsel of pork.

The next couple of minutes was spent exercising his neck muscles...he couldn't exactly run and catch the pieces, could he?

After a good number of minutes, Sakura finished her food, chucked the remains at Sasuke, stumbled into her room and literally fell asleep while falling onto the pillow. Sasuke looked up from the leftover rice. She looked so tired, worn out. He mentally shrugged, and continued snuffling out the meat morsals. Which, he discovered, no longer existed.

He ended up passing out on the kitchen floor. Hey, he hadn't had a proper dinner-plus it was like, what, 3 in the morning?

Maybe Uchihas weren't so invincible after all.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

Sakura groaned and rolled over, burying her face in some spot that wasn't lit by the sun. Right. She knew she should have closed the blinds last night, but noooo, she forgot in her sleep-deprivation. She slid one eye open a nano fraction of an inch. The electric red of the numbers slowly hazed out, and she barely made out the blinking dots that presented themselves in her blurry mind.

12:24 PM...

Wait, WHAT? Cursing under her breath, Sakura attempted to roll out of bed, only for the covers to tangle around her feet. She began to slide downwards…

"Ahhh no wait no no don't-OOF."

Sasuke's eyes slid open at the muffled cursing, ears flicking at the muted thud. Ears cocked forward, he listened with some amusement as exclamations and glimpses of her ranting reached him.

"Should've contacted hospital-"

"-Gonna kill me-"

"-stupid stupid stupid augh-"

Her voice faded out of focus as drawers were opened, clothes hangers pushed aside, and a general scuffling in the bathroom was heard. Apparently Sakura wasn't much of a morning person. Or technically, afternoon person, based on the time. Within minutes, he looked up to see her rushing out the door, hair in disarray. Where was she hurried to, anyway? The hospital? He mentally shrugged, before cursing his current form and attempting to stand up.

Attempting being the key word here. He scowled deeply as he fell down for the third time. His freaking joints weren't cooperating with him today. Or his muscles. Whichever one it was in this situation. He growled in frustration. However difficult the situation was, Uchiha Sasuke wasn't one to give up.

Ten minutes later, just as Sasuke had finally succeeded and was beginning to get bored-

Sakura crashed through the front door. Literally. Okay, maybe it didn't leave a Sakura-sized hole with splinters hanging off the edges, but she did storm in with an irritated look on her face, ready to maim something. In her arms was a small bundle of flowers-_where did she get that?-_he wondered.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she muttered while kicking off her shoes. When they came flying off, he noticed that only one foot was encased in a sock, leaving the other bare.

"I just _had_ to go rushing out the door before realizing that it was Saturday, no? It's my freaking day off, and I got up, and ran, and blehhhh I just had to do before I thought, didn't I? Of all the unfortunate mistimed mistakes of the century-"

Sasuke watched with some amusement as she ranted on to herself, which lasted another good couple of minutes. Apparently Sakura hadn't lost that temper of hers, eh?

Eventually, though, she gave up and started getting out the frying pan to cook something, namely, er…afternoon brunch? She dumped the flowers into a nearby vase filled with water, and soon was feeding Sasuke his portion. She spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up the mess from yesterday, and calling the hospital to check up on the patient's post treatment. Sasuke simply laid down and watched the day pass by.

"Sasu," she whispered to him hours later. He blinked. "Come here. We're gonna go for a walk."

A _walk_? He was not some mangy dog, he did not go for _walks_, and he was Uchiha Sasuke, the feared nuekin. He could make people wet their pants at the mere _sight_ of him, for goodness sake. He, Sasuke, had _Uchiha_ blood running through his veins. You hear me? _Uchiha_ blood. Uchiha Sasuke was a proud man-er, wolf- and he had his dignity. As far as one's dignity could be with a pink cast, anyway. (Courtesy of Sakura.)

And Uchihas did not demean themselves so far as to take a _walk._

Still, being in the currant situation he was in, he really had no choice.

This day was going great.

Flowers in hand, she slowly walked down the old dirt path with Sasuke beside her. There was still light, but it would be gone within two hours. Even with the cast, Sasuke still managed to keep a somewhat normal pace beside her. Within the next hour, they reached their destination.

The graveyard.

Sasuke stiffened before forcing himself to relax. Sakura probably visiting some dead relative. Maybe grave sweeping. For all he knew, his old perverted sensei (Kakashi, not Orochimaru, mind you) could have asked Sakura to join him in some contemplation for a long-lost friend. He had expected her to enter through the gate of Fallen Shinobi, but instead she passed it-along with the normal civilian graves. A prickling itched at his mind as she wandered past the Hyuga clan's area, and it only further intensified when she stopped at the next gate.

The Uchiha Memorial.

His hackles rose and he was about to hiss at her like a rabid cat for even thinking of coming here, how dare she, who understood nothing come and trample his family's grave-

The gate swung open, and his eyes riveted to them when no rusty complaint accompanied it. Did that mean someone had kept them well-oiled? The questions multiplied as she stepped inside. Behind a pillar, she procured out a bucket-had she placed it there? And watched as she made quick work of the weeds around the marble stones. He could only conclude that she had been making regular visits to the site, but why…he could not fathom the reason.

Curiousity along with the instinct to guard his precious ones kept him inside the circular enclosure of the gate, rather then the fence itself. If she made one move to disrupt their rest…a faint growl echoed in his throat. Sakura looked back at him as if asking a silent question before resuming her weeding. He lay down to supervise her.

By sunset, the bucket was full and Sakura's hands were dirt-crusted. She rinsed her hands from the water bottle before downing the rest of the contents from her lips. She offered some to Sasuke, who refused.

As the last orange rays faded, she rummaged in her pack and brought out candles and their respective holders. The sheer number boggled Sasuke. There would be enough for each headstone. What was she trying to do, and if suspicion served him well, then why? He watched, unmoving as she lit the candle with a murmered fire jutsu. The spark seemed to mimic the dying sun, capturing the warm pastels of the sky into a bright glow. She then proceeded to light the other candles one by one, using the first one as a lighter.

By the time it was dark, Sasuke felt like his eyes had burned out from staring at the fiery lights. Sakura knelt before the grave marker, and something in him lurched as he made out the bittersweet kanji that marked the spot. Hobbling, he steadily made his way toward her, flickering candels lending a sense of lost security. When he drew up to her, she didn't give notice, seemingly lost deep in prayer.

Sasuke settled himself before his parent's grave, feeling their lost words and touches flit from the shadows of his mind.

_"You know, when we're alone, all your father talks about is you, Sasuke." A smile._

_"Really, Kaa-san?"_

_"You shouldn't follow Itachi's footsteps…"_

_"Sasu-chan, do you want some candy?"_

_"Thank you Auntie!"_

The affectionate name sounded through his mind. _Sasu-chan_. For a moment he contemplated stripping Sakura of the right to use the name-before he stopped. Somehow, the idea of Sakura using the name did not repulse him as much as if it were someone else. He did not dwell on the fact, however, but instead slipped his head onto his paws and watched the kanji on the headstone light up from the candles.

He was uncharacteristically lost in memory before a soft voice woke him from his contemplation.

"Dear Fugaku and Mikoto," whispered Sakura from his right. "I've been coming here for the past three years…as you know." She paused, as if gathering her thoughts together. "Yesterday I returned from a mission to investigate the area that Sasuke and Itachi supposedly fought." Sasuke's eyebrows raised as he listened. So she had not simply chanced upon him.

"Well, I guess you could say I didn't really find much. Only bloodstains and burnt weapontry, really. The ANBU who got there before me already found Itachi's body…Sasuke's wasn't there. He must have…extracted his revenge for you." In a quieter voice, she continued. "…it must be awful, to have your sons fighting against eachother…even more so for blood to shed blood. Well…" she sighed. "Every time I come here, I request the same thing. Now that Itachi is with you, please…please bring Sasuke back. To me," she whispered. When silence greeted her, she chewed her bottom lip. "At least make sure he's safe…and maybe he can find happiness too. Don't you want that for your son?" As the candles shrank, she became quiet and murmered things to herself. When the first stars appeared, she made a wish.

Here she was, mused Sasuke. For three years straight she had gone to his family grounds in his stead, praying for him to come back. Three years she had…spoken to his family and asked them to guide him home. Something musty and cobwebbed stirred inside of him, something foreign and rare from the Uchiha survivior. It was a good number of mintues before he properly identified the emotion. Gratitude.

And to think that her wish had actually come true…for him to come home, eh? Granted, it was against his will-but she really had no idea who really was right next to her right now.

"Oh yeah, and I also found this wolf at the um, site." She gestured with her hand, narrowly missing Sasuke's ear with the wave. "You know, the…battleground." She glanced at him before continuing. "I named him after Sasuke." His ears perked up at the confirmed suspicion. So that brain of hers had made some connections after all… "Well, technically I didn't name him Sasuke, but I call him Sasu. Sasu-chan. He reminds me of Sasuke. Dark, cold, rather anti-social. So I guess Sasuke's still out there, somewhere. Maybe," she choked, "he won't ever come back. But you guys gave me this furry incarnation of him, since its practically written that he's not returning here. So thank you. Thank you for listening to me complain and gripe about him…For replying to my pleas."

With her speech done, she laid the flowers down on the stone. A feeling welled up inside in Sakura as she glanced back, the flowers splayed out like an exotic fan. They seemed almost…like a goodbye present. This probably was going to be one of her last prayers, after all, she got Sasu, and well, the real Sasuke wasn't going to show up anytime soon. Or ever, for the matter.

She left the candles to guide the spirits back like homing stars, and slowly stepped her way back to the oiled gate. Sasuke got up and awkwardly followed her, the irony of the situation pulsing behind his eyes.

If only she knew.

AN: Uh, sorry for the long wait and short chapter? Yeah, go ahead and flame me, (though that's not gonna help the updating speed at all, haha) I know I deserve some flames. Yes, I know I butchered the character development…obviously, this is going insanely too fast for what SHOULD be happening, but, eh, I'm trying to focus on actually FINISHING a story for once (ehhhhhe). So, yeah, maybe I'll edit once I actually finish this fic…

….I don't deserve any reviews, but again, constructive criticism is always welcome. J


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